Station by station, the Underground Railroad led slaves from the South to freedom in Canada. Michigan played a key role in the secretive, dangerous process, and Lenawee County, as one of the gateways into the state, was at the forefront.

Traces of that era remain, waiting to be exposed by volunteers working through the Sojourner Truth Technical Training Center of Adrian College.

“The history is out there,” says political science professor Kimberley Davis. “It’s in memories, in shoe boxes, in libraries, but we need help uncovering it.”

Davis has hit upon a unique way to get the job done. She intends to train volunteer squads of people interested in local history. Armed with digital cameras and tape recorders, portable scanners and interview techniques, the community researchers will head out to track down artifacts and stories from an extraordinary period of American history.

Davis is establishing the project in her home area—Lenawee County—before taking the model out across the state. Traces of the Underground Railroad remain, from the southern border towns to communities in the Upper Peninsula.

“We’re sort of creating a modern-day Underground Railroad, building these networks,” Davis said.

All information collected will be fed into a web site known as the Terminus Underground Railroad Digital Archive. Once the web site is launched, it’s expected to become the most advanced database of its kind, offering the most comprehensive repository of information available.

Citizen Researchers

From the very beginning of the project, Davis said, the idea was to train community members to collect information. She and others have devised a system that can make it work.

“It’s portable, accessible and easy to use—for the convenience of the people in the community, who are our researchers.”

Davis aims to begin the work by organizing town meetings in Lenawee County communities and townships. Historical society members are likely candidates for the project, but anyone is welcome to give it a try.

Training sessions will teach volunteers how to operate a laptop computer for data storage, a scanner to copy old letters or other documents, and a digital camera to record images of documents too fragile to handle. Use of a digital tape recorder will also be included. All the equipment will fit into a backpack for easy portability.

The researchers will also be trained in interviewing techniques before heading out into the field to track down stories of the past.

Davis sees this method as the quickest way to gather information, and there is some urgency in her work.

“We need to collect data quickly since older people are passing on and buildings are destroyed through development,” she said.

The citizen researchers will also be trained to enter data into the web site. From oral history to photos of buildings, residents from all parts of Michigan can play a role in developing the digital archive.

“It’s a state-wide story and it’s a national story,” Davis said.

And a large part of the tale can come from Lenawee County.

“Lenawee County was an important part of the state,” she said. “It was a hotbed of activity in the Underground Railroad.

“We have a lot of stories from this area, but I know by no means it’s a complete story. We need people in the community to help us complete it.”

Secret Society

Making the decision to hide fugitive slaves didn’t always come easily. Slaves were property, after all, and concealing stolen property was against the law.

Participation in the Underground Railroad often divided family and friends, said Kimberley Davis, director of Adrian College’s Sojourner Truth Technical Training Center. There are cases where a husband was a slave-holder and his wife secretly aided in their escape.

A kinship grew among those who helped runaways.

“Many different groups came together to help,” Davis said. “They did it because of what they believed in. They crossed all kinds of boundaries.”

There were often surprises among the ranks of the abolitionists—those who wanted an end to slavery. Supporters of the Underground Railroad to freedom went well beyond Quaker congregations and often included the local sheriff or the mayor of a community.

Blacks, whites and the Native American population all came together in the effort. Studying the history of the movement could offer a good model for conflict resolution, Davis said.

“It’s such a powerful story and a powerful lesson,” she said.

It was also a secret operation, and that’s where documentation a century and a half later becomes difficult.

STEP BY STEP—Wyatt Stevens of Morenci makes his way across a rope bridge Sunday during the Michigan DNR’s Great Outdoors Jamboree at Lake Hudson Recreation Area. The Tecumseh Boy Scout Troop constructed the bridge again this year after taking a break in 2016. The Jamboree offered a variety of activities for a wide range of age groups. Morenci’s Stair District Library set up activities again this year and had visits with dozens of kids. See the back page for additional photos.

LEADING THE WAY—The Morenci Area High School marching band led the way across the pedestrian bridge on Morenci’s south side for the annual Labor Day Bridge Walk. The Band Boosters shared profits from the sale of T-shirts with the walk’s sponsor, the Morenci Area Chamber of Commerce. Additional photos are on the back page.

LOOKING UP—More than 200 people showed up at Stair District Library Monday afternoon to view the big celestial event with free glasses provided by a grant from the Space Science Institute. The library offered craft activities from noon to 1 p.m., refreshments including Cosmic Cake from Zingerman’s Bakehouse and a live viewing of the eclipse from NASA on a large screen. As the sky darkened slightly, more and more people moved outside to the sidewalk to take a look at the shrinking sun. If you missed it, hang on for the next total eclipse in 2024 as the path comes even closer to this area.

THE MAYOR—Cecil Schoonover poses with a collection of garden gnomes that mysteriously arrive and disappear from his property. Along with the gnomes, someone created the sign stating that he is the Mayor of Gnomesville. He hasn’t yet tracked down the people involved in the prank, but he’s having a good time with the mystery.

TAKE A BREAK—Last Wednesday’s session of Stair District Library’s Summer Reading Program ended with a quiet period in a class presented by yoga instructor Melany Gladieux of Toledo. Children learned a variety of yoga poses in the main room at the library, then finished off the session relaxing. Additional photos are on page 7. Area children are invited to visit the library today when the Michigan Science Center presents a flight program at 11 a.m. and roller coasters at 1 p.m.

THE DERBY—Tyler “Smallpox” Flakne of Minnesota’s Home Run League All-Stars goes for the fence Friday night during the National Wiffle League Association’s home run derby in Morenci. This year the wiffleball national tournament moved from Dublin, Ohio, to Morenci’s Wakefield Park. During the derby, competitors had two minutes to hit as many home runs as possible. The winner this year finished with 21. See page 6 and 7 for additional photos.

OUT OF THIS WORLD—Elizabeth McFadden and Elise Christle pose in front of the green screen as VolunTeen Noah Gilson makes them appear as though they are standing on the Moon. More photos from the Stair District Library’s NASA @ My Library program are on page 12.

FIREWORKS erupt Saturday night over Morenci’s Wakefield Park during the waning hours of the Town and Country Festival. Additional festival photos are inside.